Out of the Field
by CoffeeGirl09
Summary: Gibbs is going on a trip to Cardiff to visit an old friend but his trip gets cut short when he gets a phone call from the NCIS headquarters saying that him and Jack are desperately needed for a case.
1. Chapter 1

"IANTO! Have you cleaned the kitchen yet?" Jack shouted from his office.

"Yes…" Ianto replied and rolled his eyes at Gwen.

Jack hadn't said why he wanted the Hub cleaned so thoroughly. Just that it was important that it was spotless by 5pm.

"Well have you dusted the Archives?" Jack stepped out of his office wearing a light pink apron that Ianto hoped had once belonged to a female member of staff.

"Jack, I dust the Archives regularly. They're fine." Ianto sighed. "Why are we cleaning everything?"

"I just think the Hub could do with a good clean." Jack shrugged his shoulders.

Gwen scoffed. Ianto was a neat freak. If anybody suddenly decided that the Hub needed cleaned; it would be him. Besides, even if the Hub needed cleaned, Jack wouldn't set a deadline. Especially one as soon as 5pm.

"Gwen, could you find an old toothbrush and clean the vault doors please?" Jack turned to head back into his office.

"No."

Jack stopped in his tracks.

"Why not?" He turned around and walked back to the railing and looked down at Gwen.

"I'm not scrubbing the vault doors with a toothbrush, Jack. There's no need. They'll be a mess again within a few days." Gwen shook her head.

"Jack, why are we 'spring cleaning'?" Ianto suddenly appeared beside Jack looking more sternly than before.

Jack looked from Ianto to Gwen and back again.

"Fine." Jack huffed and went to the sofa in front of the Torchwood sign.

Ianto and Gwen followed and sat either side of him.

"One of my old friends is coming to visit and I don't want him thinking I'm a slob." Jack admitted.

"Is that it?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean 'is that it'? It's important to me." Jack nodded.

"Is it an old boyfriend?" Gwen asked as innocently as she could whilst prying. Jack was a private man and now that Owen and Tosh were gone, she felt like she was being shut out. Ianto was his boyfriend so she assumed he knew a lot about their leader. But he never told her anything.

Jack glanced harshly sideways at Gwen. His look simply said 'it's none of your business' but he answered anyway.

"No, he was not my boyfriend." Jack glanced more softly at Ianto and turned his attention to an old empty pizza box on the table in front of him. After years of not really trusting anyone, it was hard to talk about his past. "I used to be a federal agent when I lived in America. It was before Torchwood." Jack thought for a few moments. "We were quite a pair back then. Nobody got away with a crime if we were assigned the case."

"Why did you join Torchwood instead?" Ianto sat up eagerly. He loved hearing about Jack's past.

"It was just a way of passing the time until I could meet the Doctor again. I mean, I enjoyed it; I just couldn't stay there. I wanted to protect the world from alien treats and help advance Earth's technology. I wanted to live like the Doctor." Jack continued his story.

"Do you still want to live like the Doctor?" Gwen asked.

"I don't know. Living in Cardiff and dealing with the Rift has let me see life differently. I don't think I want to travel anymore. I have too many responsibilities here. Besides, what would you two do without me, eh?" Jack laughed it off and stood back up to remove his apron. "I suppose you're right, the Hub is clean enough."

"So..." Ianto started to stroll down to the kitchen area to make coffee. "What's your friend called and when is he getting here?"

"His name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs and he's supposed to arrive at 5pm." Jack's answered and quickly checked his watch. It was five minutes to five now.

Gwen had caught on to this too. "Would you like me to go up and greet him?"

"Nope." Jack replied simply. "We're all going up to greet him. Come on." He hurried towards the corridors leading out of the Hub and gestured for Ianto and Gwen to follow him.

They weren't in the Tourist Office for very long when there was a sharp knock at the door.

Jack made a small, excited squeak as he bounced towards the door. Grabbing the handle, he pulled it open and grinned.

"Hello, Jethro." He beamed.

"That's Special Agent Gibbs to you," The man replied sternly and then broke into a grin that mirrored Jacks. "How've ya been Jack?"

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Please review and let me know what you think! :)


	2. Chapter 2

"So what are you doing here in Cardiff? I thought NCIS couldn't live without you." Jack joked.

"Well I had quite a few personal days to take." Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and smiled thankfully as Ianto handed him some coffee.

"You are taking a holiday?" Jack raised his eyebrow. He knew Gibbs well enough to know that he wasn't the type to randomly take a holiday. He was a respected agent. Heck, he was one of, if not, the best!

"Yeah, I'm taking a holiday." Gibbs sipped at his coffee. "Ianto, this is the best coffee I've ever had."

"Thank you, sir." Ianto beamed. His coffee was well-known to anyone who was associated with Torchwood.

"What exactly is NCIS, Special Agent Gibbs?" Gwen had sat quietly observing Gibbs since he arrived. It wasn't completely unusual for one of Jack's old friends to show up, out of the blue. But there was something different about this one; for once, Jack wasn't flirting with this man.

"NCIS stand for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. We deal with crimes related to the US Navy and Marine Corps. A bit like how Torchwood deals with crimes related to aliens." Gibbs explained.

"Oh...and where are you based?" Gwen politely enquired.

"Well there are more than one NCIS headquarters but the one I work at is based in Washington DC." Gibbs replied.

Gwen continued questioning Gibbs and he continued to answer all of her questions. Jack observed Gibbs carefully. There must be another reason as to why he had suddenly appeared in Cardiff.

"Gibbs, why are you here?" Jack interrupted Gwen's next question.

"I already told you. I had personal days so I'm taking a holiday." Gibbs tried to look confused at Jack's suspicions.

"Really Gibbs? I know you better than that. Tell me honestly why you are here." Jack said firmly.

Sighing, Gibbs put his coffee cup on the table and looked around the Hub.

"Where did Ianto go?" He asked.

"He's probably in the archives. Stop avoiding the question." Jack replied instantly.

"Well I think he should be here when I explain." Gibbs said.

"Gwen, go get Ianto." Jack demanded without taking his eyes off Gibbs. Trying to read him was harder than he remembered.

"Would it kill you to say please?" Gwen muttered and stormed to the entrance of the archives. "IANTO!" She called down and waited silently for a few seconds.

"YES?" Ianto's voice echoed around the Hub.

"Jack wants you up here!" Gwen called down into the darkness and hurried back to her seat next to Gibbs.

A few minutes later, Ianto appeared at the entrance of the archives and quickly dusted off his suit before taking a seat next to Jack.

"You called?" Ianto smiled at Jack.

Jack flashed a quick grin at Ianto before turning seriously to Gibbs.

"Okay, we're all here. Now why are you really here?" Jack asked again.

Gibbs sighed again. "I need your help."

Gwen and Ianto turned to look at Jack. The worried expression they both wore told him everything; they feared that he was going to leave them again. Without Tosh and Owen, they couldn't hold the fort until he got back by themselves.

"We need Torchwood to help with a case. We've exhausted all of Abby's equipment, McGee has ran out of idea's, Ziva has done all she can and DiNozzo...well, DiNozzo has ran out of jokes..." Gibbs explained.

"Why do you need Torchwood? Can't you just team up with the FBI or the CIA or something?" Jack shook his head, confused.

"I would but if they got their hands on this case, there would be an uproar." Jack looked blankly at him. Gibbs sighed, "I think it's alien."

"Have you brought anything here for us to work with?" Ianto asked.

"We have a sample of DNA back at the headquarters that we got from the victim. We think it's the killers DNA. I've brought Ducky's and Abby's test results but not the DNA. I don't want to risk contaminating it or losing it." Gibbs handed over a stack of papers to Jack. "I also have reports from a witness and what we've done in the investigation so far." Gibbs handed over another stack of papers. "I've also brought 3 return tickets to Washington DC for the 3 of you."

Gwen's head shot up. "We're going to DC?"

Gibbs nodded.

"What about the Rift?" Ianto asked.

"We left it when we went camping in Brecon Beacons." Jack shrugged his shoulders and grimaced as Ianto shuddered. The camping trip was a no-go topic with Ianto. He still occasionally woke up screaming beside Jack.

"Well then it looks like you're going to DC." Gibbs grinned at them all.

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Sorry it took so long to update. But chapter 2 is finally here! Please don't forget to review! :) Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Ianto looked up from his book to see what the commotion was. He wasn't surprised to see Jack flashing a grin at the air stewardess; the latter glaring back at the Captain, she seemed to be stopping Jack from getting past. Apparently admitting defeat, Jack pouted and returned to his seat beside Ianto.

"What was all that about?" Ianto placed his book on his lap and turned to face Jack.

Jack looked at him sheepishly for a moment, clearly trying to decide whether he should admit to Ianto what he was trying to do. "I wanted to see where the pilot sits but the stewardess wouldn't let me through."

"Really Jack? How old are you? Actually, don't answer that." Ianto sighed at his boyfriend's childish behaviour. "Can you not just sit still? Watch the film?" He gestured towards the tiny airplane screen that was showing some Brad Pitt film that nobody appeared to be watching.

"Seen it before. He finds his pregnant wife's head in a box and kills the murderer." Jack shrugged his shoulders.

Of course Jack had seen it before; was there anything that man hadn't done or seen? "Why don't you read then?"

"Nah..." Jack shrugged his shoulders again.

They sat in silence for a moment then Ianto had an idea.

"Jack, will you tell me some more about your past?" Usually, Jack opened up about his past with Ianto on a night when they were lying in bed together. Ianto knew more than most about the Captain but he knew he was far from knowing even a fraction of the man's history.

Jack looked thoughtful for a minute and Ianto was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer.

Nodding slowly, Jack finally replied. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know...What's your biggest regret? If you have any, that is."

"My biggest regret?" Jack bit his lip slightly as he thought. "Back in 1927, I met somebody. Angelo Colasanto." Jack smiled, reminiscently. "We were together for a while, I told him about myself, my immortality. At first, he freaked out but once I convinced him I was alive and not the devil," Jack chuckled slightly at that, "We had something good. Great, even. I didn't think about the future...I didn't want to think about the future...But I knew I couldn't avoid it. I knew we couldn't be together. We parted ways and tried to get on with our lives. I regretted letting myself get involved with him, I regretted starting our relationship and I regretted finishing what we had. I made a promise to myself the night we separated that I would never get involved with another human again. They die in the end and I'm left alone, story of my life." Jack took a deep breath and looked pointedly at Ianto. "But then I met you and I know the love you have to offer is worth it."

Ianto sat silently. He didn't know what to say. Jack was rarely this open and honest about his past and it surprised Ianto that he was doing so in such an open place.

Jack coughed to break the slightly awkward silence. "How about we talk about something a little less...depressing? What was your favourite holiday when you were a kid?"

Ianto smiled, relieved for the obvious change of topic and thought back to his childhood.

**NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD**

Across the aisle from Jack and Ianto, Gibbs sat questioning Gwen about Torchwood's history.

"I know the basic in's and out's of Torchwood but what about the people? You lost two members recently, right?" Gibbs asked.

"That's right. There was five of us: Jack, Ianto, me, Toshiko and Owen." Gwen smiled sadly when she spoke of her fallen friends. "We were like siblings and Jack was our father figure; always trying to outdo each other. Owen died twice." Gwen laughed at the perplexed look Gibbs gave her. "He was shot and killed but Jack brought him back with the Resurrection Gauntlet. He was literally a dead man walking... The second and final time he died was saving Cardiff from a reaction at a power plant. Tosh died whilst trying to save Owen. Since it's just been me, Jack and Ianto, I feel like we've grown closer as a team. We've been through so much together but at the same time, I feel like the outsider." When she drew a blank look from Gibbs, she explained further. "Jack and Ianto grew closer and closer as a couple and I know Jack's opening up to Ianto but I'm just Gwen. Jack would rather talk to his boyfriend than me."

Gibbs nodded, understandingly and glanced over as Jack got up to go to the toilet.

"Excuse me." Gibbs quickly stood up and strode confidently towards the small toilet cubicle, stopping to wait outside as it was currently occupied.

A few minutes had passed when Jack emerged from the cubicle, smiling at Gibbs; he started to head back to his seat, only to be stopped by Gibbs stepping in his way.

"Is there a problem, Gibbs?" Jack raised his eyebrows at the agent.

"Rule 12." Gibbs stated, simply. The glare alone was enough to make Jack feel sheepish but the disappointment in Gibbs' voice suddenly made Jack's shoes seem interesting as he avoided eye contact.

Looking up and past Gibbs, Jack saw Ianto reading his book and thought about how much more settled he had been since they'd begun their relationship. Ianto had changed him, in a good way; he no longer felt alone. Finally looking Gibbs in the eye, Jack stood his ground. "He's worth breaking the rule."

"It always seems that way at the time." Gibbs insisted and shook his head, disapprovingly.

"You know what, Gibbs? You seem to be forgetting one of your own rules." Jack scoffed.

"Oh yeah, and what rule would that be?"

"Rule 51. Sometimes, you're wrong." With that, Jack pushed past Gibbs and returned to his seat next to Ianto.

Shocked, Gibbs watched as Jack sat back down, he watched as Ianto looked up from his book at Jack's sullen expression. His own expression softened as he thought about what Jack said. Just because things hadn't worked for him and Jenny, it didn't mean Jack's relationship with Ianto was doomed to fail.

**NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD**

They were just over 3 hours into the 6 hour flight from London to Washington DC and Ianto thought he'd better start briefing himself on the case as he doubted they would have any down time to prepare once they'd landed in DC.

Leaning over Jack, Ianto called across the aisle to Gibbs. "Special Agent Gibbs, Have you got copies of the case files so far in your hand luggage?"

"You can just call me Gibbs," he smiled at the Welshman and stood to retrieve the papers from the overhead locker and passed them to Ianto. "Here you go, everything we have so far is there. Copies of the autopsy transcript, crime scene photos and sketches, witness reports and all the test results that Abby has been able to complete. She still has some tests running but they should be done by the time we arrive at NCIS."

"Thanks." Ianto took the case file and sat back in his seat and flicked to the first page, apparently absorbed immediately.

Gibbs sat back down and coughed slightly to get Jack's attention. "Listen Jack, about before..." Gibbs started.

"Don't you dare apologise, it's a sign of weakness." Jack winked at the agent.

Pausing for a moment, Gibbs grinned back at the Captain. "Wasn't going to, I wanted to say I'm happy for you. If what you two have got is good and you can make it work, why waste it?"

"Thanks Jethro, it means a lot." The use of his first name always told Gibbs that it was 'serious Jack' time and not being a man of many words, he nodded in response and leaned back in his seat as Jack turned to read the case file over Ianto's shoulder.

Next to Gibbs, Gwen removed her airplane headphones and yawned.

"So Gibbs, I told you about our team before, what about your team? Will we be working with them much in DC?" Gwen quizzed.

"Try and stop them from working on this case." Gibbs chuckled. "They're a determined bunch...Hell, we all are at NCIS. But my team have the best case solve rate..."

"I don't mean what are they like on paper, I want to know who they are and what they're like personality-wise." Gwen interrupted.

"Personality-wise?" Gibbs thought for a moment, wondering where to begin. "Well I guess I'll start with DiNozzo. His movie references drive me crazy, he's a flirt, a goof...My second in command and he's the best agent I've ever worked with. Stubborn as an ass. Then there's Ziva David, former Mossad agent..."

Gibbs went on to tell Gwen about each and every member of his team, his family, at NCIS.

**NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD**

"Jack, will we have enough equipment with us to handle an alien threat in the US?" Ianto closed the file as the stewardess handed their in-flight meal over. "Thank you."

"Thanks." Jack eagerly took his meal started shovelling some potato into his mouth. "'Onestly? Mm not sure..."

"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude." Ianto shook his head as his boyfriend quickly swallowed.

"Sorry," Jack took a sip of his water and continued. "We'll have more people as back up than we've ever had before so once we know what we're up against, we'll brief Gibbs' team as best we can so they don't go in blind and we'll deal with it like we've always done in the past, hope for the best and salvage the remains." Jack winked.

Ianto smiled and shook his head, as much as he hated to admit it, he was excited to see what was waiting for them in DC. They were unprepared and unequipped, much like they were when he first joined Torchwood and he was more than ready for a challenge that didn't involve weevils.

**NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD – NCIS – TORCHWOOD**

A/N It's been wayyyyyy too long and I'm sorry! I'm hoping to get back into writing now. Hope you all enjoyed the new chapter and there will be more about the case in the next Reviews will be much appreciated!


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